The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
by iwantlunch
Summary: Austin's big chance to breakthrough as a solo artist is here but there's one catch; he needs a Christmas song to perform at the Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. Maybe the brunette he met on the street could help him. Unfortunately for him, she's a female Ebenezer Scrooge. He's only got nine days and the clock is ticking. / / AU
1. Falling & Fleeing

**I am literally the worst author ever, I am so sorry. I haven't truly updated anything in a while and I really shouldn't be starting another story but I need to get my juices flowing again. I've honestly lost all inspiration for _Behind The Music_ because I feel that the characters are so OOC and for many other reasons. _Heartbeat_ I hope to update later today but no promises.**

**The weather is getting colder, Autumn has begun, and my friend is listening to Christmas music. This was inspired by both. Enjoy!**

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"_It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas…"_

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**x**

_**November 28****th**_

**x**

Cold air embraced New Yorkers as they walked through throngs of people doing their last minute shopping. Bags full of clothes and toys hit legs of random city goers as the people were smashed together in order to avoid being hit by a taxi. It was when he was in the middle of the crowds that Austin Moon missed Miami.

It was only slightly warmer than frigid New York weather and only a tiny bit less crowded than the city seemed to be during the holiday season, offering little differences between the two metropolises but Miami was one of his favorite places to be, the place where it all began.

When he was sixteen, after uploading video after video of guitar, drum, piano, and trumpet covers of the newest songs, Austin was approached to play lead guitar for his favorite band, _Screamin' Monkeys_*. His inspiration to learn how to play had backed out of the band, the cause blamed on the player's drug abuse. Disappointed in his longtime idol but elated to take his place, Austin accepted. For the past five years, he had been touring and recording until a few months prior when the band decided to breakup. The original members had been together for over forty years and knew that their bodies were spent, facing the reality that they could no longer do the insane stunts they once were able to back in their twenties.

Alone, Austin had retreated back to his loft in New York City where he would stay when the band was recording. He hadn't returned to Miami since the breakup. He wasn't ready to face the bedroom where his covers and his music career began.

Stars were impossible to see in the city but the lights from the buildings provided just as great of an effect to leave even the oldest residents speechless. Finding himself on a subconscious pathway to his favorite place during the Christmas season, Austin looked at the shining lights around him. A few minutes passed before his feet stopped in the dead center of the sideway. A few hundred feet in front of him stood the enormous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree that would be lit in nine days' time.

Only after news broke of the band's breakup in August was Austin presented with a wondrous opportunity; he would be able to breakout as a solo artist at the annual tree lighting. For a struggling, relatively new, soloist, this was a once in a lifetime chance. All that needed to be done was for Austin to come up with a Christmas song to perform at the lighting ceremony.

Gazing up at the gigantic tree before him, a sigh escaped his lips. If he performed well at the Rockefeller Tree Lighting, Mr. James, the man who ran it, would speak to Gregory Holmes, the man in charge of the "Rockin' New Year's Eve" special this year. If any spots opened up last minute, Austin would be able to perform.

It would seem to be an easy enough task to come up with a song but Austin was at a loss. Words were not his forte and songwriting even less so. Moving closer, the tree began to intimidate him. Some bark and leaves were able to make him nervous, something that never happened to Austin Moon.

The vibrating of his phone broke his thoughts and Austin was thankful.

"Hey man!" an excited voice exclaimed.

With a laugh, Austin responded, "Hey Dez, what's up?"

"I've got a bunch of new equipment for the lighting! When you rock that performance, I can cut it into an awesome music video for the holiday season." Austin didn't have the heart to bring up the fact that he still didn't have a song for the event yet. Dez was just like a young child and it would break his heart to crush his excitement. Besides, no one but him knew of his need for a Christmas song. Heck, no one really knew of his inability to write lyrics!

"Haha, yeah, and we're going to have an awesome time. Just imagine it! We could rub knees with Mariah Carey and Jason Mraz!" Austin said, keeping in mind of his friend's sensitive elbows. After chatting for a few minutes of the possible celebrities they could meet and the shenanigans they could get into (Who cares if they were 20?! When they're together, they acted like teens).

Hanging up, Austin looked up at the star that was placed delicately on top of the tree. This time last year, he and the band had been home for the holidays and he wished on that very star to bring a friend into his life, one that was his age and that he could enjoy spending time with. Back when he was presented the offer, Austin knew he wouldn't be able to stay in touch with his friends much while on tour and he knew he'd gain many fake ones. The friends he did make were years older than him and he felt too much like his father when he spoke with them. By coincidence or chance, only a few weeks later did Austin and Dez meet, on a subway train that Austin was forced to take after waking up late.

Deciding that his time spent freezing while looking at the place he would perform at in the near future was over, the blond rocker moved his arms up, fully concerned with stretching them. They had begun to get stiff after tours and sometimes in the cold weather, it would act up again. He assumed it was from the constantly same position his arms would be in on most nights of the year. But instead of his arms going upward, his right elbow connected with something hard and a small "Umf" was heard.

In a quick moment, Austin swiveled in his spot towards the sound only to look down and see a petite girl, back flat against the ground and one hand reaching for the brown book opened on the cement beside her while the other gripped her nose.

"I am _so_ sorry!" he said immediately. Austin's arms reached down and helped the girl up, picking up the worn leather book as well. The girl's brown curls covered her face but her eyes looked up at Austin and he could tell that she was about ready to attack him. "I didn't mean to hit you. Is your nose okay?" he asked, the concern laced in his voice. The girl's hand hadn't left her nose and he feared it might have been broken.

The only response was a glare.

A sigh left his pale lips before he looked around and ushered the girl, who surprisingly didn't object, towards the nearest open building; a Starbucks.

The rocker made his way through the difficult crowds and shepherded the young woman through the door once. Smiles of relief graced their faces as they entered the warm shop.

"Now can I see your nose?" Austin asked when he brought them to an empty table against the windows. He let her sit in the high chair before standing in front of her and tucking her book safely under his left arm. The girl let out a breath before slightly rolling her eyes and slowly releasing her hand's grip on her nose. A sympathetic "Oh…" came from Austin as he grabbed the girl's chin and examined her nose. He ignored her raised eyebrow and slight glare as he took off the mitten protecting his right hand and moving to touch her very red nose.

"Ow!" she yelped as his finger grazed the surface. Austin's hand was still cold from the outside, she could even tell through the mitten that still covered the left hand gripping her chin before he touched her nose. She swatted his hand away before hiding her nose from his view.

"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed once more. "Just let me see your nose." His free hand took hers away from her nose.

"I doubt you're a doctor, Mr. Musician," the pretty girl mumbled. A chuckle rumbled low in Austin's throat as he continued to look at her nose.

"No, but I've broken my nose plenty of times from hockey." He slowly moved her face around, trying to catch all angles before he moved her head so her gaze was fixated on his. "It's not broken but it definitely looks sore."

Another roll of the eyes came from her before she spoke. "I could have told you that it's sore." It was now Austin's turn to roll his eyes as he removed his hand from her face. She began to stand up, catching Austin by surprise.

"Wait, at least let me buy you a coffee!" he nearly shouted. "You know, to show you I'm sorry…"

"Don't drink it," was her short response. She quickly made her way towards the door, Austin in shock at what just happened. The last time he was turned down was when he was seventeen.

"What's your name?" he shouted to her as she exited through the door. He noticed that she didn't hear him and he made a dash for the door. As he quickly made his way onto the street, he cursed the heavy throngs of people rushing past. There was absolutely no way he could find her now.

Austin moved to run his fingers through his blond hair when a worn, brown leather book made his movements suddenly awkward. He looked down at his armpit to see the book still safely tucked away. Grabbing it, he moved back towards the building and returned to the window seat. His fingers thumbed through the pages before opening to the most recent passage. It was a diary of sorts and on a page close to the back was a paragraph on how much the girl missed hearing new music from her favorite band, _Screamin' Monkeys_.

It was then that Austin's mind registered her, "Mr. Musician" comment. It had made sense. He turned to the very first page, hoping to see a name etched on the front cover.

A name he did find as well as something surprising; song lyrics. Austin found the way to his Christmas song.

"Looks like I'm not the only musician, Miss Ally Dawson."

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**Honestly, it's been a very long time since I have done a creative writing piece so my writing is really rusty. I would LOVE some pointers, tips, your criticisms, to help make this story amazing.**

**Thanks so much for the support guys, you're all amazing! :)**

**Until next time...**


	2. Songbooks & Stalkers

**A/N: A few things. Firstly, the band that Austin was in was made up by me and to the best of my knowledge, is completely fictional and of my own creation. Secondly, I said that Austin was 16 when he uploaded the video to the internet and had been with the band for five years, then later said he and Dez were 20 – I meant to say that he was fifteen when he uploaded the video. Hope that clears some things up! :)**

**Also, the lyrics at the beginning of each chapter are not mine. Enjoy!**

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**The Most Wonderful Time of the Year**

**Chapter 2**

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"_Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock…_

_Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time,_

_Dancing and prancing in Jingle Bell Square,_

_In the frosty air…_"

**x**

**November 29****th ****- Morning**

**x**

Ally checked her reflection in her bathroom mirror the next morning once she woke up. Her nose was still sore and slightly red but better than last night. A groan escaped her lips as the events of the previous night came back to her mind.

Somewhere between the blond guitarist knocking her in the nose and her walking into Starbucks, her brown leather book had disappeared. She had checked her purse, dumping the contents out onto her bed and rummaging through them multiple times. She had even made a few calls to the Starbucks that she was in. No one had seen her book anywhere.

During the night, Ally barely slept. Thoughts of her notebook being lost somewhere in one of the greatest cities in the world had sent her in a frenzy. Not only did it contain her most personal thoughts and memories but there were two things about it contents that worried her most; her address and song lyrics.

In the front cover of her book, she wrote the address of her apartment along with her name and number. She had misplaced her book in the New York Public Library a couple times, though she hated admitting it, and much to her dismay, her best friend Trish had convinced her to place the aforementioned information on the front cover in case it was lost again.

With one last look at her nose, Ally exited the bathroom and made her way to the kitchen.

"Ugh, that movie is on _again_?!" Ally complained as she stood at the counter, seeing Trish watching _A Christmas Story_.

"What's wrong with it this time, Ms. Grinch?" Trish called back, her eyes still focused on the television.

Ally rolled her eyes as she began to cut a tomato to put into her omelet. "The fact that this movie seems to be the only thing on this channel knows to show. They've been playing it since before Halloween! Talk about rushing the holidays," she ranted, grumbling the last part. Trish only rolled her eyes and laughed. After growing up with Ally, she's learned of her dislike of this particular holiday season. The Latina never pushed the envelope, only knowing the surface of the situation, because she knew how sore of a topic it was to her friend.

"Well, you'll just have to deal with it. I love this movie and it's finally acceptable to go Christmas crazy." Ally had a rule about celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving; the little celebrating of the holiday that she did was only done after Thanksgiving.

The small songwriter just laughed and rolled her eyes, making her way to the stove to cook her omelet. Her mind wandered to the possible places where she could have left her treasured book. The only obvious answer was that it was left on the busy sidewalk while she and Austin Moon cared for her nose.

Oh, she knew who Austin Moon was, yes. She grew up listening to the _Screamin' Monkeys_, playing her father's records of them on repeat when she hung out in the practice room during her time in Miami. Her heart broke to find out that her favorite guitarist left the band, PR never releasing the real reason though rumors said that it was due to an addiction to drugs.

Her heart was quickly repaired when she saw that an attractive blond joined the group in his place. Austin Moon had become her celebrity crush for a year or two during her teens. No one could blame her though, because nearly every girl felt the same. Besides his looks, Ally loved the way he played and would sing backup vocals, a solo song becoming more and more frequent towards the bands' end. He played with a passion evident in his eyes, a presence like no other. It was like he belonged on stage, breathed to be on stage. And like the stage needed _him_. She had never before seen a performer with such vigor as she saw in him.

Turning her thoughts back to the food on her stove, Ally realized her omelet was done. She gingerly placed it on a plate, grabbed silverware and a glass of orange juice, setting her seat at the island in the kitchen. Just as she sat, knocking on the door echoed through the apartment.

"ALLY'S COMING!" Trish yelled to the visitors from her spot on the couch. With a roll of her eyes, Ally stood, knowing her friend was too lazy to get the door.

"Don't worry Trish, I've got it!" she responded, the humor evident in her voice. She skipped towards the door, happy to escape the sounds of the classic Christmas tale. It wasn't even December and she was already over it. Ally's hand gripped the doorknob and turned it slightly. The whoosh of wind from opening the door fanned her hair back slightly.

With a smile on her face, she opened the door. "Hell- OH!" Ally began her greeting with enthusiasm and after seeing who stood at her door, squeaked and slammed it shut.

"Ally? Who is it?" Trish called from the living room. Ally didn't respond, her back flat against the door, breathing deeply. How he got her address, she did not know. But she did not want to deal with him. Ugh, just the thought of him was making her nose throb. "Ally?" her friend called again, this time from the hallway. Trish appeared before Ally, eyebrows knit together in concern.

"I – uh –I – wha –" Ally attempted to say. The throbbing in her nose increase and her hand reached up to cup it, hoping to soothe the pain. She moved towards Trish, away from the door, and pointed towards it. She was feeling so many things; shock at the fact he found where she lived, anger at the fact he had the nerve to do so after last night, and, for a strange reason, slight happiness at the sight of him on her doorstep.

"Ally, you're making no sense!" the Latina groaned, moving towards the door and quickly thrusting it open. Her mouth dropped open at shock, barely registering the fact that the door slammed into her best friend's face, hitting her already sore nose, knocking her to the floor.

Austin Moon stood leaning against their doorway, arms crossed, and a confused smile on his face. Behind him stood a tall, lanky ginger who held a camera, recording every moment. Another squeak escaped Ally's lips at the sight of the camera from her spot on the ground.

"Um, Ally lives here, right?" Austin called from the doorway. Trish stepped back, still in shock. She knew of Austin, only because of Ally, and she became quick to admire his talent and looks, though she would die rather than admit the small school girl crush she had on him during her teens. "Ally?" Austin called again, the tiny girl not moving from spot. "Uh, Ally's friend…?" he tried, speaking to Trish now. But neither girl responded immediately.

"Ow, ow, ow," the boys heard from behind the door. Giving a quick look to Dez, Austin rushed in and over to where the sound was coming from. Ally was sprawled out on the floor, clutching her nose.

"We've got to stop meeting like this," Austin mumbled, grabbing Ally's arms and helping her up, her hand not leaving her nose. She only glared at him for a second before turning towards her friend, the glare hardening.

Trish rushed to her friend's side, worry etched over her face. "I am so sorry, Ally! I didn't mean too!" Ally's gaze softened and with a frustrated sigh, she nodded her head before turning towards the boys.

"Austin-" she began, stopping immediately at the remembrance of the camera in Dez's hand. She let out a soft scream and hurried behind the door.

"Wait, Ally!" Austin said, exasperated.

"Put that camera away and then we'll talk!" Ally demanded from behind the door. Austin gave Dez a look, an eyebrow raised, before shrugging his shoulders. With a sigh of defeat, Dez turned off the camera and put it away.

"Camera's away!" the blond boy called out cautiously. Ally stepped out from behind the door, hand still clutching her nose.

"What are you doing here?" she asked exasperatedly as Trish closed the door. The small brunette made her way towards the kitchen, the boys following behind her.

"I wanted to talk to you about something important," the blond responded. Ally glanced back at him, wary at the statement. She turned to a top cabinet, grabbing a few napkins, before making her way back to her seat to enjoy her breakfast.

"Hey!" she cried out at the sight of the ginger male eating the breakfast she desired so much. The young man only gave her a sheepish smile and a mumbled apology in response before continuing to down her food.

With the release of a frustrated sigh, Ally dropped into a chair at the island across from Dez, Austin sitting at head between the two. "What are you doing here? Besides, of course, causing my nose more pain and eating my food," Ally angrily asked, directing her statements to whom they applied.

"We have a proposition for you," Dez had barely managed out of his mouth before he gulped down the orange juice. After finding out he still held the brunette beauty's songbook, Austin had rushed to Dez's apartment with his brilliant idea. Dez had secretly known that his best friend couldn't write songs, after all, he wasn't the best with words. So there was no shock on his end when Austin had confessed his deep dark secret to him or that he didn't have a song for the performance yet.

Ally gave the boy a look before turning to Austin with a raised eyebrow. "A proposition?"

"You see," the blond haired rockstar began, nervously playing with his fingers on the countertop. Ally saw her Latina friend slowly emerge from the living room to eavesdrop in the doorway. Rolling her eyes, the brunette focused her attention back on Austin, only in hopes that it would make him leave quicker. "I'm supposed to be performing at the Christmas Tree Lighting in Rockefeller Centre on December 7th. Um," he continued to look down at the countertop and took one of his hands to rub the back of his neck.

"Ally," Austin tried again. He coughed to clear his throat. "I'm supposed to have an original song to perform for it. And well… I don't. I can't write a song, I'm not good with words!" he had quickly shouted in a form of defense for his actions.

"Okay, so you have eight days to write an original Christmas song. What does this have to do with me?" she questioned.

"I think you're a great songwriter and maybe we could team up-"

"Wait!" Ally shouted. "How do you know I write songs? On a second thought, how do you know my name and where I live?!" Austin and Dez shot each other looks, mouths open, not quite sure how to respond to it. Ally finally caught on, standing up and angrily wagging a finger at Austin. "_You_ stole my songbook!" Her accusation made Austin wince.

"In all fairness, I only picked it up off the street when I was helping you-"

"-after you hit into me."

"-And I was so focused on helping you with your nose-"

"-WHICH YOU HURT!-"

"-That I didn't realize I still had it until you ran off," Austin finished, shooting Ally a look. The songstress held out her hand as she stood in front of the blond boy.

"Give. It. Back." she demanded.

Austin sighed and looked at her as he got up to stand in front of her. "Okay, you can have your songbook back." Ally tried to fight the smile off of her face, thinking she had won. But Austin only smirked and continued. "But only after you agree to write me a song to perform at the tree lighting this year."

Ally fiercely shook her head. "No way! You can write your own song; now give me back my songbook!"

A sigh escaped Austin's lips as he ran a hand over his face. "Fine, I'll help you write the song for the lighting. Now will you agree?" He was usually a patient person but this girl did something to him.

Biting her lip, Ally looked from her best friend who held an encouraging and secretive smile on her face to Dez who looked like a child waiting to meet Santa, high expectations and hopes and all, then to Austin, whose hopeful, desperate expression made her feel like she was seeing a hurt puppy.

"Ugh, fine! I'll help you!" The two boys cheered and Trish's smile widened, Ally only rolling her eyes at the scene. "Now give me my book back!" Austin rolled his eyes and reached into his coat, pulling out Ally's precious book. She quickly grabbed it from his hands, giving the boy her best glare, and muttered a threatening, "Don't touch my book," to him.

Austin only gulped and nodded, taking a step back. Trish made her way over to Ally, nudging her arm when she reached her best friend.

The short Latina couldn't remember a time recently when her friend was willing to share her music with anyone else. Ever since she was fourteen, her music had only stayed between herself and her songbook. And for some reason, Ally had agreed to do this favor for Austin.

Ally and Austin had briefly glanced at each other before tuning themselves back into the conversation being held with their respective best friends, both thinking the same thing.

_What did I just get myself into?_

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**Sorry if it seems a bit rushed, not my favorite piece of work, but whatever. I'm sorry guys, my life has been a little wacky since Hurricane Sandy. I hope everyone's well! Thanks for everyone who put this story or me on alerts or favorites. It means so much!**

**And thanks to my amazing reviewers: **Musicispoetrywithpersonality 29** (I know, I have to listen to Christmas music to get inspired to write – and I love it!), **Awesomesauce325** (I love Christmas! I just love the season and everything about it!), **queenc1**, **LoveShipper** (Your reviews always make me smile! I hope you like this chapter! Ally will be a little sassy throughout this story. So excited to continue writing!), ** .54** (Si, si! Sorry!), **HG Just Because** (And the story continues!), ** . .Out** (Oh my, I'm such a big fan of yours! Hahaha I'm so sorry your neighbor came over. I'm so happy you're excited though and I'm extremely sorry that it took this long for me to update! Not again! I'm literally blushing right now, you are so sweet. I love your stories, I am such a big fan and wow. Haha. Again, I'm sorry it took me forever to upload again but I can almost definitely promise that I will have this story done by Christmas so yay! Thank you again so much!), **ExtremeSaucicity** (Am I seeing things? Did you really review on my story? I'm sorry, I am such a gigantic fan of your stories, you're absolutely brilliant! I'm sorry, I feel like this chapter is a little bit of a disappointment but I'll just partially blame that on the fact I've been working on bits and pieces over such a long period of time. Don't worry, it will get better! I have a few plans up my sleeve for this, especially to show just how much of a Scrooge Ally can be. ;) Hope you still enjoyed it and thank you again!), and **ctiger** (Thank you! I hope you're still interested!).**

**I'm so sorry for the long wait for an update, but do not fear, the breaks between updates will be shorter as I am planning to hopefully have this done by Christmas! Yay! :)**

**Until next time…**


	3. Crushes & Cafes

**The Most Wonderful Time of the Year**

**Chapter 3**

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"_Once bitten and twice shyed_  
_I keep my distance but you still catch my eye..."_

**x**

**November 29****th ****- Afternoon**

**x**

One shower and a trip to her closet later, Ally was refreshed and renewed. Somehow, someway, Trish had gotten Ally to agree to a meeting with Austin and Dez that afternoon. Her Latina best friend had always been persuasive and intimidating, making anyone in Trish's path extremely vulnerable. And Ally, being the nice person she is, couldn't let her friend down when the famous puppy dog eyes and pout came out.

And so Ally found herself sitting in a café across from Bryant Park, Trish ordering the two of them hot chocolates, and awaiting the arrival of her partner of merely a few hours, if you could say that. A glance at her silver***** watch told the brunette that time was quickly making its way towards 12:30, the set time for the meeting.

"So… Austin's grown to be even hotter, huh?" Trish said, placing a hot chocolate in front of Ally and sitting across from her. She raised an eyebrow at the songwriter, waiting to see how she would react to the statement. The songwriter just shrugged.

"I don't know," Ally began in response. "I wasn't paying much attention." The Latina could only roll her eyes. It was so much like Ally to force herself to worry about anything and everything but the male population. Ever since her nasty break up with James (the boy had proposed to Ally and then a week later broke up with her, asking for the ring back as well) two years prior, Ally put all her main focus on work.

Growing up in Miami, she helped around constantly at her father's music store, Sonic Boom. When she left for NYMU, Ally approached her father about possibly expanding the Sonic Boom franchise and opening a location in New York City. After reluctantly agreeing, her father visited regularly to help "ensure the store is in order" though they both knew that Ally knew more than ever what she was doing, it was just Lester Dawson's excuse to see his daughter.

The break-up with James put Ally in a bad place, ultimately affecting Sonic Boom's NYC location as well. Sales started to drop after Ally refused to come in, keeping the store closed for days at a time for three weeks. The employees began getting fed up and started to quit. Only when Trish had knocked some sense into her (and when she had seen James and his new girlfriend, her engagement ring on the foreign woman's finger) did she thrust herself back into the work atmosphere. But she never left it.

Ally glanced at her watch again, seeing that the time was now 12:31 and some seconds. She gave up waiting on anyone years ago, thanks to James. So with a sigh, she began to stand up.

Trish, immediately noticing this, grabbed the other girl's wrist and pulled her back down to her seat. "Ally, what are you doing?!"

"He's late." It was the only response Trish would get out of her. As Ally began to get up again, annoyed that the time was not 12:32 and the blond still hadn't shown, two young men ran into the store, rushing to the table that the two girls were seated at.

"I'm… sorry…" Austin said between panted breaths as he placed his hands on his knees, bent over and with his hand looking down at the ground, trying to even out his breathing. Dez had sent a wave to the two girls before heading towards the counter.

"You're late." Austin looked up at the girl in a flash, his mouth gaping incredulously at Ally while Trish sent the girl a glare, lightly kicking her friend in the shin under the table.

"You're joking me, right? It's barely two minutes after!" The rock star stood up straight and stared at the girl before him in disbelief. Ally stared back, annoyance clear on her face.

"You're still late," is all she said. Ally reached for her purse, moving to stand once move when she was pushed back into the booth, nearly missing hitting her face against the glass windowpane. In anger she turned towards the cause only to find Austin nearly fallen over beside her. Whatever caused her to fly towards the side first did the same to him.

"DEZ!" Austin yelled in shock and surprise. He straightened himself out, reaching beside him to Ally in an attempt to help her. The girl just shook her hands and head at him, refusing his help, and sat up straight by her own means. With a roll of his eyes, Austin faced forward to look at his best friend who sat across the table from him.

Beside Dez, Trish sat with a confused, angry expression on her face, annoyed by the red headed boy who knocked his friend into her own in his attempt to rush towards their table.

The filmmaker pointed towards his best friend, a grin wide on his face. "I've got a great idea for your performance!"

"We haven't even started writing the song yet…" Austin began, raising an eyebrow to the taller boy.

Austin's comment didn't deter Dez one bit. "So I was thinking – here you are, in front of the Christmas tree, and BAM! A tiny sea-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Trish interrupted, turning her body towards Dez and waving her hands in front of herself, in a motion that told Dez to stop.

"Yes?"

"If you don't even know what the song is about, how can you already start planning the performance, it just doesn't-"

"-Trisha-"

"Guys," Ally said, trying to break up the discussion that getting even more heated by the second.

"-It's _Trish_!-"

"- it's actually quite simple-"

"Yo guys!" Austin nearly yelled this time. He looked towards Ally, shrugging slightly. Ally only sighed in return, resting her chin in her hand as she placed her elbow on the table. The argument between their two best friends continued on in the background ("How does that make sense? Oh yeah, it doesn't!" "Well, Patrick has always agreed that it makes sense!" "Who is Patrick, you whackadoodle?!") as Ally hopelessly stared out the window, the glass only slightly fogged from the cold weather outside.

This was not at all how she expected to spend her day. She had the store closed for the day and with that, she was supposed to be given no worries. But of course, the blondie beside her just had to "rock her world", just not in the way she ever expected it.

Not that she ever expected or wanted him to rock her world, nope, never.

Right…

"Hey, Ally…" a voice whispered in her ear, the sentence hesitant and unsure. Ally turned her head slightly to look at Austin, her breath quickly catching at how close their faces were.

"Yeah?" she managed to squeak out. The songstress could feel her cheeks heating up and knew that Austin could probably tell too. But he gave no notion of noticing the change in her cheek color and their close proximity didn't seem to bother him one bit, as if his invasion of personal space was a normal thing to him.

Oh gosh, how she hoped it was.

Wait, no, she means how she hoped it _wasn't_.

Maybe she wasn't as over her tiny high school crush on him as she thought. She had kept tabs on the _Screamin' Monkeys_ even when her schedule had gotten busier and busier. Though, she never really had a chance to check in on how the members aged, only rarely seeing a TV appearance or concert footage. And my, have the years following puberty really done Austin well. There was no denying the blond boy was attractive. He had well defined muscles that seemed to be noticeable despite the shirt and jacket he wore. He also still had a boyish charm and innocence about him, something that made him so welcoming to everyone he met.

"Why don't we start working on that song?" he had suggested, his voice still low and his face still mere inches from hers. Ally quickly glanced back at her best friend and newfound enemy before looking back into Austin's chocolate orbs. She gave a short nod, afraid of how her voice might sound considering the thoughts she was having. The quicker they finished the song, the quicker she could get away from Austin Moon and these dangerous thoughts about him.

Sliding swiftly out of the seat, Austin held out his hand for Ally to take but still, she refused to let him help her. She grabbed her black knit hat, gloves, and scarf, putting all of them on her body before putting on her long, dark blue coat. Austin quickly zipped up his aqua coat, covering the white long sleeved shirt beneath it.

"See ya, Dez! Bye Trish!" Austin called over his shoulder in a rush as he grabbed Ally's hand and pulled her out of the café. The blond boy pulled the two of them across the street to Bryant Park where an ice rink now covered the luscious green grass that occupied the land in the spring, summer, and fall. "Let's go to your place, it's closer. Do you have a piano there?" he asked, breaking their awkward silence.

Ally hesitated before nodding. The apartment she and Trish shared was only a few blocks from Bryant Park and the five minute walk had returned to its awkward, uncomfortable silence. They reached her building and once in the elevator, got to her corner apartment pretty quickly.

"So where is this piano?" Austin asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation and excitement as he walked into her apartment.

"Um, it's – uh – it's in a private room." Trish had become successful in the fashion world early on in life, interning at a few companies during their summers in high school. And thanks to the combined success of Sonic Boom, Ally and Trish were able to get the apartment of their dreams with plenty of rooms and a fabulous view of the city. One of the two guest rooms had turned into Ally's private practice room, so private that not even Trish was allowed in there.

With a quick close of her eyes and a deep breath, Ally looked at Austin and gestured for him to follow her. Her footsteps felt heavy as she made her way down the hallway and was it just her or were the walls closing in? She took another shaky breath as she stood in front of the door before grabbing the knob and turning it.

**x**

"No! Don't put your jacket there!" Ally exclaimed as she rushed off of the piano bench towards where Austin stood.

"Uh… what's wrong with here?" he asked, confused. The room was getting stuffy and he shed his jacket, intending to put it over the couch against the wall. Ally glared at him before snatching the jacket from his hands and placing it on the coat hook on the back of the door. "Sorry," he muttered, wide eyed and with a raised eyebrow.

Ally let out a frustrated sigh and Austin decided to give her a second before rejoining her. He took this free time to examine the practice room she was so protective over.

It was a good sized room with the potential to have been a great bedroom. The walls were a light blue color, the trimmings a bright white. There was the aforementioned white leather couch and there were two armchairs on the wall opposite, an oak end table between them. The black grand piano was near the center of the room, a few guitars littering the back wall.

"Alright, let's do this," Austin muttered to himself, rubbing his hands together again and bounding over to the piano bench where Ally sat once more. He plopped himself beside her, the cushion of the bench giving off a welcoming feel. "What ideas do you have?"

One raised eyebrow and a shake of the head was all he got at first. "I can't do all the work! What do you have in mind?" Austin just shrugged and went to lean forward on the piano. Ally's arm immediately flung out, preventing him from doing such an action. "No! No leaning on the piano. It's only for playing!" she scolded.

"I'm hungry, do you have food?"

"Austin, we just sat down to write. Plus, there's no eating in here!"

"But _Alllllllly_!" he whined, putting emphasis on her name. Ally just stared back.

"Can't you focus for a minute?" Austin scoffed. Of course he could focus whenever he wanted! ... Just not when he's hungry…

"If I could eat then I could," he mumbled in frustration and crossed his arms. This… this _girl_ was just being frustrating! First he couldn't put his coat on the couch, next he can't eat before writing or in the practice room. Next you'll know she'll say-

"Austin, you have got to be kidding me!" Austin's attention snapped back to her while the songwriter threw her hands up in exasperation. "There's no way we're accomplishing this song," she uttered miserably, letting her hands cup her face.

"Oh come on, don't be such a quitter Ally!" Ally's head popped out of her hands and glared at him. How dare he say that?

Oh yeah, she was _definitely _over that crush she had on Austin Moon.

* * *

*** - I don't really like doing these author notes in the middle of the story but cough cough the colors on Ally are important. Just think about it… :)**

**Okay, so things are off to a bit of a rocky start with Austin & Ally's songwriting. This isn't how I expected the chapter to turn out but I kind of forced it out of me. I hope it's still good!**

**Thank you everyone who added me or this story to their favorites or alerts, it means a lot. And a big thank you to everyone who reviewed – I love hearing what you have to say! :)**

**Please review, especially if you have constructive criticism for me – I love those kinds of reviews! It really helps improve the story and the writer. Thank you again.**

**Thank you:**

**Queenc1**

**Girliegirl13**

**UniqueNewYork25**

Awesomesauce325: ** Oh gosh, definitely not smooth sailing any time soon. But yes, so do I! It's all so wonderful!**

LoveShipper: **I agree too – it is way too early for all of that! I'm glad you found the door scene funny, I was worried! It will only get more and more interesting as the actual writing begins. ;P**

ExtremeSaucicty: **Aw, yay! I'm glad you were excited to see my update! :) I've been trying to do my best with setting everything up. I've never really done much of an AU before and I've been so worried. I'm trying to make their personalities similar yet different and it's tough. I didn't think of the library thing until I was actually writing it up because I was thinking of Dallas working at the library. Immediately I just imagined Ally going to the library for peace and quiet with her songbook then finding an interesting library book, getting lost in that, and then forgetting her songbook. Haha. I feel like the conversation in this chapter was a bit choppy and it wasn't how I intended it to be in my mind which is disappointing but I hope it's still somewhat enjoyable. I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT THE CLICHÉ. I didn't want to make it too overused or annoying but I was hoping. It was a big relief to see that you laughed at it. YAY! He's a very desperate man at this point because the clock is ticking and his career as a solo artist is kind of depending on this performance but I feel like it hasn't fully hit him yet that it's that big (which it might in the next chapter or so). I hope you enjoyed this chapter though! I love reading your reviews, they help a ton! :)**

.Doubt. .Out. / Carlie: **Oh my, I really hope your name isn't cut off again! But I like "Carlie", it's very nice! :) YES! I FELT THAT WAY WHEN SOME PEOPLE (INCLUDING YOU) HAVE REVIEWED ME. It makes me so happy! Haha look at you, making everyone blush! Your stories are great, I love them! I love Christmas too! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you! :)**

Citger: **Yes, them working together should be interesting. It only increases from here! Austin will formulate and collect a few things up his sleeves to help "thaw" Ally out. I like how you said that, mind if I use it? Haha. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks again! :)**

**Thank you guys so much! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Tell me your favorite and least favorite parts of it, maybe? Thanks again, I really appreciate all of you!**

**Until next time… :)**


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